Entertainment: How Theme Parks Handle CBD Use

Summer is the time when people flock to theme parks. Each year, millions of people visit theme parks throughout the United States. According to one study, in 2018, more than 20 million people visited Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney Resort. The warm temperatures and long days make for the perfect season for spending hours packed with fun and excitement.

While theme parks are open to everyone to enjoy, there are some who may feel excluded. Most theme parks prohibit medical marijuana and CBD products such as a customer necklace, while on park grounds. These laws have been in effect for decades, and as of now, there doesn’t appear to be a change coming any time soon.

If you use CBD, here’s what you need to know about visiting a theme park.

CBD at Theme Parks

Despite their being a federal law, the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalizes CBD products that have less than 0.3% THC, certain companies have set their own rules in terms of CBD possession and usage.

For years, Disney properties have set precedence when it comes to carrying and using CBD products. According to the brand’s policies, CBD products are considered to be prohibited contraband. This rule not only applies at Disney theme parks. CBD is also banned at all Disney hotels and shopping areas.

The same policy has been adopted by nearly every major theme park in the U.S., including Universal, Six Flags, and Cedar Fair. All of these places prohibit all forms of cannabis, including CBD.

So what does this mean for people who use CBD for medical or therapeutic reasons? While people who use CBD aren’t banned from the parks, users aren’t permitted to enter the park with any CBD product.

The good news is that Sea World properties, which include SeaWorld parks and Busch Gardens, allow visitors to carry CBD. However, medical marijuana or any product with a significant amount of THC is strictly prohibited.

Don’t Risk It

While you may be able to sneak your CBD product into a theme park, the risk isn’t worth the reward. If you’re caught, you could be arrested and charged with a crime.

Disney properties are especially notorious for catching people who enter the park with a CBD product. Remember, the park has several checkpoints, in which your bags are checked for any prohibited items.

Back in April 2019, a 69 year old great-grandmother was arrested at Disney World for having CBD oil in her purse. After going through a Disney World checkpoint, the security officers mistook a bottle of CBD oil for THC oil. She was later charged with a felony and released on bail.

Around the same time, a former bartender at Walt Disney World was fired for having CBD balm in her purse that she was using to treat foot pain.

With this said, it’s obviously a huge risk to try to enter a theme park while carrying CBD. While you may be able to get away with it at some of the less stringent parks, breaking a park’s rules can result in serious consequences.

So what if you need CBD in order to keep your mental health in check or for daily pain relief? If you’re going to a theme park soon, you don’t have to suffer just because CBD isn’t allowed. Here are some tips to follow.

Know the Rules

Before going to any park, take the time to research the rules that apply to CBD products. Since many places have yet to differentiate between CBD and cannabis products, you may not specifically find a rule that applies to CBD. With that said, you can assume that any rules in regards to cannabis products also apply to CBD products.

If the theme park you’re visiting allows CBD, make sure that the product you’re using is legal. This means that the product should:

• Only contain hemp-derived CBD
• Should have less than 0.3% THC
• Meet any state/local restrictions

Knowing the rules ahead of time allows you to better plan your day at a theme park.

Choose a Quality Product

Not all CBD products are made equal. In fact, because the industry is unregulated, this leaves all sorts of room for low quality products that simply aren’t up to par. To get the most from CBD, you need to ensure that you’re using a high quality product.

When buying CBD, make sure that you’re buying from a trusted brand, such as Green Roads. You also want to take the time to research the product before buying it, to include reviewing the certificate of analysis (COA) to ensure that the product is exactly what’s marketed.

By choosing a quality CBD product, you’re able to minimize the risk of using something that contains higher levels of THC than advertised. This protects you, no matter where you’re headed.

You may also want to consider only traveling with a product that’s made with CBD isolate. This is the purest form of CBD that contains no THC. CBD isolate won’t test positive for THC, so this is the safest option to bring with you.

Leave the CBD Behind

If you’re visiting a theme park where CBD is strictly prohibited, your best option is to leave the product in your car or wherever you’re staying, assuming it’s not a Disney property. Remember, CBD is prohibited on any Disney property, hotels included.

In order to get the relief you need, CBDGrade advises to take CBD a half hour or so before heading to the theme park. This way you can minimize pain or keep stress and anxiety at bay so that you can make the best of your day. If needed, keep the CBD product in your car so that you can re-dose as needed.

While it can be annoying having to exit and re-enter the park, the relief is well worth it.

Conclusion

In the year 2020, it’s surprising that so many theme parks have such draconian rules when it comes to allowing CBD products. If you’re traveling to a theme park where CBD is prohibited, keep these tips in mind so that you can get the relief you need without the worry of breaking a park rule.